单选题 .  Kyle Maguire wanted to attend the University of Nebraska as soon as he graduated from high school years ago. An aspiring Web developer, he liked the computer-science program and, as an in-state kid, the football-crazy campus fit him perfectly. But the cost—more than $6,000 a year—did not. The solution? Clock-punching as a cashier at Amigos—a local Taco Bell-style chain, where over the past three years Maguire has built up enough seniority to qualify for the restaurant's tuition-reimbursement (报销) program. When he wanted to transfer to Nebraska from a nearby community college two years ago, his income from Amigos made it easier, cutting his tuition nearly in half. "It's a big deal," he says "It helps keep my student loans low while still living decently."
    With money tight and tuition hikes a long-lasting concern, Kyle's "work now, school later" approach is increasingly common. More than a fifth high-school graduates plan to use a working gap year to save cash for school, according to Next Step Magazine. Another 8 percent said they planned to join the Army to help fund their education. Five percent now plan to postpone entering school indefinitely. Of those who do enter school right away, fewer than 40 percent will graduate in four years, according to the National Center for Education Statistics—partly because of the need to balance work with school. In short, the era of the traditional four-year degree is almost over.
    That doesn't mean a mad rush for jobs in the service world—although many low-wage employers, including Best Buy, Home Depot, and McDonald's, offer tuition-reimbursement programs. Instead, most kids are looking for a balance between a job's monetary and nonfinancial rewards. The federally backed public-service provider AmeriCorps, for instance, saw applications almost triple from 23,145 to 76,404 this year. In exchange for 11 months of work in jobs such as after-school tutoring or home building, "volunteers" get a salary to cover their living expenses and, thanks to the newly signed Serve America Act, more than $5,000 toward their educations.
    University cooperative programs, or co-ops, also offer a mix of financial and experiential riches. Participating students alternate between semesters on campus and semesters on the job, working with one of their school's professional partners. Last year at Georgia Tech, most co-op students earned more than $15,000 for six months inside some of the world's most prestigious firms, including Merck and Coca-Cola. Free from tuition bills during work semesters, many students save half their earnings. "It beats any on-campus job you can find," says Alejandro Suarez, a fifth-year senior at Georgia Tech who remembers the thrill of landing a co-op job at Toyota as a freshman. For Suarez and other working students, the trick will be landing the same, or an equivalent job, when they graduate.1.  After Kyle Maguire graduated from high school, he ______.